Barrel-cover



(No Model.) 7

Z. WOODWORTH.

BARREL COVER.

No. 429,671. Patented June 10, 18 90.

UNITED STATES EPATENT OFFICE.

ZAOHARY WOODWORTH, OF NANKIN, MICHIGAN.

BARREL-COVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,671, dated June 10, 1890.

Application filed February 1'7, 1890. Serial No. 340,738. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZAOHARY WOODWORTH, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Nankin, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Barrels; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements on the devices described in my application for Letters Patent filed August 22, 1889, Serial No. 321,619, and more particularly to the interior diaphragm or follower therein described.

It has been found that the follower described in said application, while it answered for pork and other meat barrels, was not applicable for pickle-barrels or barrels in which other small vegetables are kept, since when the follower was inserted and supported by the blocks about the middle of the barrel the space between the edge of the follower and the sides of the barrel permitted the smaller articles-such as vegetables-to escape above the follower.

My present invention aims to produce a follower which, when inserted in the barrel and supported horizontally at the point of the barrels greatest diameter, will still be practically an imperforate diaphragm from side to side of the barrel. This I accomplish by a combination of devices and appliances hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my follower. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

' In carrying out my invention, A represents the main portion of my follower. Held to this main portion by the frames B are the blocks B, which slide in and out upon said main portion. Rigidly attached to the outer ends of these blocks are the segmental-shaped pieces or strips O. They may be engaged in any suitable manner to the blocks, and when the four pieces are in position theyform a circular band overlapping the edge of the main portion. By forcing the blocks toward or from the center of the main portion the segmental pieces are thrown in or out, thus enlarging and reducing the diameter of the diaphragm. The segmental pieces 0 are made to lap each other, as at 0, so that when they are moved outwardly they still form a complete ring around the edge of the main portion, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

It is desirable to simultaneously move the segmental sections radially, and it is also desirable that when extended or moved outward their full limit to bear against the barrelthe segmental sections or pieces 0 shall offer no orifices, perforations, or spaces through which it would be possible for particles of vegetables or small pickles or other articles to pass upward. To accomplish these purposes the segmental sections not only overlap atall their end portions, but are so constructed and combined with their adjusting mechanism that no vertical slots are employed in the sections for the passage of guide-pins on the main body A of the follower. The sections, therefore, are each provided on the upper side with an attached slidebar B, which moves or slides in one of the guide-frames B, fixed on the main body of the follower. These slide-bars all extend radially, andas they are attached to the sections 0 and each moves rectilinearly in a guide-frame B it follows that by simultaneously sliding the bars the sections are also moved radially in unison and in rectilinear or right lines in contradistinction to swinging on pivots.

To simultaneously move the slide-bars they are engaged with a cam-plate D, adapted to oscillate in a horizontal plane on the main body A, and provided with a rigid grip or handle E for operating the same. The camplate is provided with cam-edges (Z, bearing against the inner ends of the slide-bars, and the latter are connected by links at with curved grooves d in the cam-plate, whereby each slide-bar is positively moved in both directions.

Vhat I claim is 1. Aninternal diaphragm or follower for a barrel, consisting of the main body, the expansible ring composed of a series of radiallymovable segmental sections having overlapping ends, a series of radially-sliding bars ICO barrel, consisting of a main body having guideframes, an expausible ring composed of radially-movable segmental sections having overlapping ends, and provided with slidebars moving in the guide-frames, an oscillatory cam-plate having cam-edges and curved grooves and links connecting the slide-bars with the grooves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ZACl-IARY \VOODWORTI'I. lVitnesses:

M. A. REEVE, C. J. SHIPLEY. 

